Proud to be part of the MTSU BLUE RAIDER RADIO NETWORK for the Sixth Season! Here's the recipe for this weeks TAILGATE TIP for the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raider vsAlabama A&M Bulldogs football game. Being a team from Alabama... I decided to go with ... wait for it... ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE!

Grilling on the Grove

Yep, a classic when it comes to grilling, barbecue, and good eats in the state of Alabama. Thank you Big Bob for putting this classic sauce on the barbecue and tailgating map! It's time to bring this recipe back to Murfreesboror for some tailgating at the Grove... Walnut Grove that is. For non-MTSU folk - Walnut Grove is an open space on campus that dates back to the 1930's. Here's a plaque with the cool History.

Thanks to SpaceRaider on photobucket for these cool images!

Totally Sidetracked! Back to Cool Alabama White Sauce!

Speaking of cool stuff from Alabama... besides my mom, wife, and in-laws, and that would be - Eli Gold. The voice of the Crimson Tide - has helped me more times than I can count! He was a guest a few times on my radio show back in the ESPN 1370 radio days. He helped me with information for my Talladega Superspeedway book. His amazing shrimp recipe will be featured in the Alabama Hometown Cookbook. And, he's answered just about any NASCAR related question I've had while covering motorsports.

Had to work in a couple of book plus there!

But, I'm the radio tailgate guru for MTSU - which means this recipe is about MTSU! So, we're stealing the white sauce recipe and bringing it north! Here ya go tailgate fans, whip up some Blue Raider Alabama A&M White Sauce! And, don't forget to listen to the Blue Raider Radio Network for my tailgate tips... and GREAT FOOTBALL!

Blue Raider Alabama A&M White Sauce

White sauce is awesome on any type of grilled chicken, pulled smoked barbecue chicken, baked chicken, turkey, and pultry in general. But - don't be scared to try it on a batch of pulled pork barbecue! This version is slightly different from the white sauce recipe that I did when MTSU played the Crimson Tide. For one, the batch is smaller which makes it perfect for storing longer than a week or so. Plus, this recipe is a bit easier on the pocket book when it comes to ingredients. It can probably be made with stuff you have in your kitchen now! Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup prepared extra-hot horseradish

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions: How easy is this? Mix it all together, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to splash some on some grilled or barbecue chicken!

Just in case you were wondering about the other recipe for white sauce.... here ya go!

Kent's Original 'Bama White Sauce

1 quart mayonnaise1/2 quart apple cider vinegar1/4 cup corn syrup, maybe a dash more to tasteCrushed red pepper or cayenne pepper or both to tasteDashes of prepared horseradishDashes of lemon juiceSeveral dashes of black pepperWorcestershire sauce, or soy sauce, or even steak sauce, a dash or two

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or blender. Use a mixer, or the blender... and blend. Add a bit of water or milk to thin if needed. Cover, chill, and get ready for AWESOMENESS! Use as a sauce, baste, marinade, dipping sauce, on chicken, pork, and more!

ALL RIGHT FOOTBALL FANS - The official Middle Tennessee State University Tailgate Tip of the week for the game against the Charlotte 49'ers involves Texas Pete® Hot Sauce! Wait... what?

Why is a recipe geared towards beating a Conference USA football team from North Carolina including a hot sauce from Texas? Well, my tailgate and foodie friends Texas Pete® is originally from... NORTH CAROLINA! Yep, if you're in Charlotte, head out, drive for a bit to Winston-Salem and you're in the hometown of one of the most iconic hot sauce brands in the United States!

Oh, that USA connection plays a role as well. It turns out that the name of the sauce had to be connected to the USA. Here's how the official Texas Pete Legend spells things out when it came time to pick a name for a family developed sauce during the 1940's.

"Sam Garner and his three sons, Thad, Ralph and Harold, were trying to come up with a brand name for this spicy new sauce they had created, a marketing adviser suggested the name ”Mexican Joe” to connote the piquant flavor reminiscent of the favorite foods of our neighbors to the south. ”Nope!” said the patriarch of the Garner family. ”It’s got to have an American name!” Sam suggested they move across the border to Texas, which also had a reputation for spicy cuisine. Then he glanced at son Harold, whose nickname was ”Pete” and the Texas Pete cowboy was born. Movie cowboys were very popular in the 1930’s, men like Tom Mix and Hopalong Cassidy, representing a sort of universal image of rugged independence and self-reliance, the perfect ideal for a family business trying to survive tough times."

Now that's a pretty awesome story! Great sauce, fantastic flavor, and a pretty cool history to back things up. Now, all you need is a tasty MTSU football tailgate recipe to cap things off. This recipe is a version I first learned when training to cook for the United States Coast Guard. My instructor, Ron Ellis, loaded an oven up with his salt, pepper, and brown sugar bacon. It was amazing. Of course, we had to add hot sauce eventually. So when I was researching Texas Pete I decided to combine the Spicy Bacon with a Cheeseburger - tailgate heaven!

You can make the bacon before the tailgate and warm it up there if you want to save time. You'll notice that I didn't include a recipe for a cheeseburger... just grill up a cheese burger and top it with the following bacon recipe courtesy of the sources - my grill, Ron's Bacon, USCG Food Service Specialist training and Texas Pete Hot Sauce!

Preheat oven or grill to 350 degrees. Place the bacon in an even layer on deep cooking tray - preferably with a rack - or a broiling pan. You'll need this for the grease. Next, in a bowl, combine a bunch of Texas Pete® Hot Sauce and brown sugar together. Sprinkle the bacon lightly with black pepper. Brush the mixture of sauce and brown sugar over the top of the bacon and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the pieces and baste again. Or, combine everything in a zip close back, seal it and toss it in the fridge overnight. Then bake or grill the bacon. Before you remove from the oven, sprinkle lightly with more brown sugar. Drain via the rack, the broiling pan, or on paper towels and top your cheeseburger! One note: DON'T BURN THE BACON! The brown sugar will become bitter. And bitter bacon is not happy bacon!

Enjoy the recipe, catch this recipe during the MTSU Football Radio Network Broadcast, and GO BLUE RAIDERS!! I'll see you at the tailgate.

Why stay hungry? TAILGATE MY FRIENDS! The MTSU Blue Raiders RECIPE OF THE WEEK! Here's the recipe for this weeks TAILGATE TIP for the Middle Tennessee State University Football Radio Network! The Blue Raiders are taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide so I decided to go with ... wait for it... BLUE RAIDER ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE!

Yep, a classic when it comes to grilling, barbecue, and good eats in the state of Alabama. Thank you Big Bob - Thank You Dreamland! It's TAILGATE TIME!

Now, just to make things clear - this recipe is dedicated to my mom, Arleta Whitaker, who was born in Birmingham, Alabama and went to Alabama Poly Tech. Which is now known as Auburn! Plus my wife, mother-in-law, and many family members are all Auburn folk. But, I admit it - we have some 'Bama folk in the fold as well

Plus, Eli Gold - voice of the Crimson Tide - has helped me more times than I can count! He was a guest a few times on my radio show back in the ESPN 1370 days. He helped me with information for my Talladega Superspeedway book. His amazing shrimp recipe will be featured in the upcoming Alabama Hometown Cookbook. And, he's answered just about any NASCAR related question I've had while covering motorsports.

But, I'm the tailgate guy for MTSU - which means this recipe is about MTSU! So, we're stealing the white sauce recipe and bringing it north! Here ya go tailgate fans, whip up some Blue Raider 'Bama White Sauce! And, don't forget to listen to the Blue Raider Radio Network for my tailgate tips... and GREAT FOOTBALL!

Blue Raider 'Bama White Sauce

1 quart mayonnaise3/4 quart apple cider vinegar1/4 cup corn syrup, maybe a dash more to tasteCrushed red pepper or cayenne pepper or bothDash of prepared horseradishDash of lemon juiceSeveral dashes of black pepperWorcestershire sauce, or soy, or steak, a dash of two

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or blender. Use a mixer, or the blender... and blend. Add a bit of water or milk to thin if needed. Cover, chill, and get ready for AWESOMENESS! Use as a sauce, baste, marinade, dipping sauce, on chicken, pork, and more!

The Best Brunswick Stew Ever FRom Chip Walters! Voice of the Blue Raiders - It has been a wonderful couple of football seasons working with my old college - Middle Tennessee State University, during football broadcasts.